AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION 


UNIVERSITY     OF     CALIFORNIA 


BENJ.    IDE    WHEELER,    PRESIDENT 

COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE  thomas  forsyth  hunt,  dean  and  director 

H.    E.    VAN    NORMAN,    Vice-Director   and    Dean 
University   Farm   School 


BERKELEY 


CIRCULAR  No.  142. 


November,    1915. 


PRACTICAL  AND  INEXPENSIVE  POULTRY 
APPLIANCES. 

By  J.  E.  Dougherty  and  W.  E.  Lloyd. 

The  following  pages  describe  and  illustrate  a  number  of  practical, 
labor-saving  and  inexpensive  poultry  appliances,  that  have  either  been 
designed  or  improved  by  the  Poultry  Division  of  the  College  of 
Agriculture,  University  of  California.  The  primary  aim  in  designing 
or  improving  these  appliances  has  been  (1)  to  make  them  as  low  in 
cost  as  possible  so  that  expense  of  this  nature  might  be  kept  low,  (2) 
to  make  the  designs  very  simple  so  that  any  one  with  ordinary  skill  in 
handling  a  hammer  and  saw  could  readily  make  them  at  home,  (3)  to 
produce  appliances  that  would  work,  and  work  efficiently. 

TRAPNESTS. 

Poultrymen  are  coming  to  realize  more  fully,  year  by  year,  the  great 
value  of  the  trapnest  in  breeding  for  egg  production,  just  as  dairymen 
have  come  to  appreciate  the  enormous  value  of  the  scales  and  Babcock 
tester  in  improving  a  dairy  herd.  In  order  to  know  accurately  just 
how  many  eggs  a  hen  produces ;  in  order  to  know  which  are  the  boarders 
and  which  are  the  profitable  fowls,  trapnests  must  be  used.  The 
purpose  of  a  trapnest  is  not  to  increase  the  egg  production  of  the 
present  layers  but  to  find  out  just  how  well  the  best  of  the  present 
flock  are  laying,  in  order  that  the  good  layers  may  be  identified  and 
mated  to  males  out  of  good  layers,  for  use  as  breeding  stock  to  reproduce 
offspring  with  better  laying  qualities  than  the  average  of  the  present 
flock.  Trapnest  the  breeders  for  they  are  going  to  produce  the  future 
layers,  but  do  not  force  them  for  egg  production.  The  hen  that 
naturally  produces  better  than  her  sisters  is  more  prolific  and  will  make 
the  best  breeder.  The  ideal  average  egg  production  may  be  fixed  at 
180  eggs  per  hen  per  year,  which  is  considerably  above  the  average 
production  of  commercial  flocks  of  500  or  more  hens.  The  present 
average  may  be  raised  towards  this  ideal  by  breeding  from  naturally 

19325 


—  2  — 

strong  layers,  year  after  year,  that  lay  well-shaped,  nicely  colored,  good 
sized  (2  ounces),  strong-shelled  eggs;  that  have  good  type  and  abundant 
vigor,  and  by  mating  them  to  well-grown,  sturdy  males  out  of  naturally 
prolific  mothers. 

California  Trapnest  No.  1. — This  is  a  simple  box  nest  costing  very 
little  more  to  build  than  an  ordinary  wooden  nest.  The  trapdoor  is 
hinged  at  the  top.  To  set  nest  the  door  is  swung  inward  and  held  at 
the  bottom  by  a  wire  hook  (see  figure  1)  at  just  the  right  height 
so  that  when  a  hen  enters  the  nest  and  walks  under  the  door, 
her  back  will  raise  it  up  just  enough  to  release  the  hook  and  allow 
the  door  to  swing  quietly  shut  behind  her.  The  door  does  not  close 
with  a  bang  but  slips  slowly  down  the  fowl's  back  and  over  her  tail 
after  the  hook  is  released  and  as  the  hen  goes  farther  into  the  nest. 


Fig.  1.  California  Trapnest  No.  1  (modified 
Connecticut  Trapnest).  The  end  views  above 
show  how  the  trapdoor  is  set  and  how  the 
inside  stop  locks  the  door  from  the  inside 
after  it  is  tripped. 


As  the  door  swings  shut  against  the  outside  door  stop  (a  3-inch  straight 
screw  hook),  the  inside  door  stop  (a  bent  piece  of  No.  6  wire)  drops 
down  (see  figure  la)  and  locks  it  from  the  inside. 

To  release  the  hen,  turn  the  outside  door  stop  up,  swing  the  door 
outward  and  catch  her  in  the  two  extended  hands  as  she  comes  out. 
Then  tuck  her  under  the  left  arm,  slide  the  left  hand  under  her  breast 
nod  seize  the  shanks  at  the  hock  joints.     Hold  the  shanks  up,  read  and 


6   


note  the  legband  which  should  be  placed  with  the  figures  upside  down 
on  the  fowl 's  leg  so  that  it  may  be  easily  read  when  the  fowl  is  held  as 
here  described  and  then  let  her  go.  When  saving  eggs  for  hatching 
the  hen  number,  pen  number  and  date  are  usually  marked  on  the  large 
end  of  the  egg  thus  268/27/2-10,  after  releasing  the  hen.     At  other 


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Fig.  la.  Working  plans  of  California  Trapnest  No.  1.  This  drawing  shows  a 
wooden  door  as  shown  in  Fig.  4  instead  of  the  wire  door  illustrated  in  Fig.  1.  Either 
style  may  be  used.  Bottom  of  trap  door  is  hung  5%  inches  above  bottom  of  nest 
when  set  for  Leghorns  and  other  small  breeds.  For  the  larger  breeds,  it  will  have  to 
be  set  higher. 

times  the  egg  is  simply  credited  to  the  hen  on  the  record  sheet  hanging 
in  the  pen.  A  blank  form  of  record  sheet  may  be  secured  on  applica- 
tion to  the  Poultry  Division  of  the  University  of  California. 

To  reset  the  nest,  insert  a  pencil  between  the  door  and  the  side  of 
the  nest  raising  the  inside  stop  with  the  left  hand ;  push  the  door  inward 
with  the  right  hand  and  hook  it  in  place.  Then  turn  the  outside  door 
stop  back  to  a  horizontal  position.  Both  the  hook  and  inside  door 
stop  should  be  on  the  left  side  of  nest  to  facilitate  of  setting  nest 
quickly. 


California  Trapnest  No.  2.— This  trapnest  is  similar  to  the  No.  1 
nest,  except  that  with  trapnest  No.  1  a  6-  or  8-inch  platform  must  be 
placed  in  front  of  the  nest  for  the  hen  to  jump  upon  in  order  to  get 
into  the  nest  (see  figure  3),  whereas  with  trapnest  No.  2  this  platform 
is  made  a  part  of  the  nest  thus  making  it  deeper  from  front  to  rear. 
As  a  result  of  uniting  the  front  platform  and  nest  into  one  nest  and 
moving  the  trap  door  forward  to  the  front  edge  of  the  platform,  no 


Fig.   2.     California  Trapnest  No.  2. 

inside  stop  is  needed  and  the  nest  is  simplified.  It  takes  somewhat 
less  time  to  run  this  style  of  trapnest  and  release  the  layers  where  there 
are  no  inside  stops  to  raise  when  resetting  the  nest  each  time,  whereas 
the  cost  of  construction  is  slightly  higher.  Further,  in  operating  No.  2 
nest,  the  outside  stop  need  never  be  turned.  The  necessary  turning  of 
the  outside  stop  of  nest  No.  1  when  releasing  a  hen  wears  the  screw 
hole  larger  after  a  time  and  it  has  to  be  plugged.  However,  this  is  a 
small  matter  that  five  minutes'  occasional  attention  will  take  care  of. 

The  operation  of  the  nest  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  of  the  No.  1  nest 
except  in  releasing  the  layer.  To  release  her  after  she  has  laid,  push 
the  trapdoor  inward  and  upward  above  the  hen's  head  and  catch  her 
in  the  extended  hands  as  she  comes  out  under  the  trapdoor,  just  as 
described  above  for  the  No.  1  nest. 


—  5  — 


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—  6  — 

To  reset,  push  the  trapdoor  inward  and  fasten  in  position  with  the 
wire  hook  as  shown  in  figure  2  and  2a. 

The  No.  1  style  trapnest  may  be  built  in  tiers  against  the  wall  as 
shown  in  figure  3,  or  they  may  be  built  under  the  droppings  boards. 


Fig.  3.  No.  1  trapnests  in  a  double 
tier  against  the  wall  of  the  pen.  Note 
platforms   in  front  of  each  nest. 

The  No.  2  style  is  best  suited  for  use  under  the  droppings  boards  or 
on  the  wall  where  nests  are  not  tiered.  The  No.  2  nest  can  not  be  placed 
in  tiers  because  the  hen  must  jump  directly  into  the  nest  from  the  floor. 
There  can  be  no  platform  board  placed  in  front  of  the  nests  for  fowls 
to  light  on  before  entering  to  lay,  as  is  done  with  the  No.  1  nest,  because 
no  inside  stops  are  used. 

The  reader  will  notice  in  the  illustrations  different  styles  of  trapdoors 
used.  We  have  experimented  with  a  number  of  different  styles  of  door 
in  designing  these  nests  and  find  that  the  solid  door  with  plain  cleats  at 
the  top  and  bottom,  as  shown  in  figure  2,  to  quickly  catch  the  wire  hook, 
and  a  1-inch  wide  opening  in  the  middle  (see  figure  2)  is  easiest  to 
make,  keeps  the  nest  dark,  yet  permits  of  good  ventilation,  and  the  center 
opening  enables  the  operator  to  readily  see  into  the  nest.*  The  wire  door 
is  a  good  one  but  lets  more  light  into  the  nest.     The  bottoms  of  these 


*The  center  opening  in  trapdoor  should  be  only  1  inch  wide  so  the  hen  can  not  put 
her  head  through  while  waiting  to  be  released. 


__  7  — 

nests  are  made  of  ^-inch  mesh  hardware  cloth.  This  permits  all  dirt 
and  soiled  nesting  material  to  sift  through  as  it  is  broken  up  and  keeps 
the  nest  much  more  clean  with  less  labor. 


-.'    "      '"    *     . 


Fig.  4.  No.  2  trapnests  under  the  droppings  board.  Note  the  absence  of 
any  platform  boards  in  front  of  nests  for  hens  to  jump  on  before  entering. 
Instead   they   jump    directly   into   front   part   of   nest. 


HOPPERS. 

Dry  Mash  Hopper. — The  dry  mash  hopper  shown  in  figures  5  and  6 
is  positive  in  action  because  (unlike  self -feeding  hoppers)  it  can  not 
clog.  Self -feeding  mash  hoppers  invariably  either  clog  up  or  feed  so  fast 
that  a  great  deal  is  scattered  on  the  floor  and  wasted.  This  hopper  is 
non-wasting  if  not  filled  too  full  because  the  J-inch  wire  mesh  grid, 
which  is  simply  a  piece  of  J-inch  mesh  hardware  cloth,  prevents  the 
fowls  from  hooking  the  feed  out.  It  will  hold  a  week's  supply  of  mash 
for  35  fowls  when  made  2  feet  long  as  shown  in  figure  5a.  It  may  be 
made  any  length  desired. 

The  Hopper  should  be  placed  on  a  feeding  platform  15  inches  off  the 
floor  so  that  the  hens  can  not  scratch  it  full  of  litter. 


—  8 


III 


Pig.   5.     California  Dry  Mash  Hopper.     The  piece  of  g-inch  mesh  hardware  cloth 
is  laid  on  the  feed  to  prevent  the  fowls  hooking  the  mash  out  and  wasting  it. 


CQOtO-SECTOn 


CALIFOftfllA      PRY   MA3H   HOPPEG 

Fig.   5a.     Working  plans  of  California  Dry  Mash  Hopper. 


Fig.  6.  Showing  dry  mash  hoppers  in  use.  Observe 
15-inch  high  platform  to  keep  hoppers  up  off  ground  where 
they  will  not  be  scratched  full  of  dirt  and  litter. 

Grit  or  Shell  Hopper. — This  is  a  simple  self-feeding  hopper  with  a 
wooden  lip  on  the  front  edge  of  the  opening  where  the  fowls  feed  to 
prevent  them  from  hooking  the  grit  or  shell  out  on  the  floor  (see  figures 
7  and  la).  This  style  of  hopper  works  very  well  with  shell  and  grit 
because  they  feed  easily  and  do  not  clog  in  the  upper  part  of  the  hopper 
so  readily  as  ground  mill  feeds.  The  grit  will  always  feed  well  in  this 
style  of  hopper  but  if  the  oyster  shell  used  is  rather  fine,  it  may  clog 
slightly  in  the  narrow  part  of  the  throat  of  the  feeder.  If  the  attendant 
will  look  at  the  hoppers  occasionally  as  he  passes  through  each  pen  no 
trouble  will  be  experienced.  Properly  constructed,  this  is  one  of  the 
simplest  and  most  satisfactory  grit  or  shell  hoppers  that  can  be  used. 


—  10  — 


Fig.   7.     Grit   or   shell   hopper. 


Fig.   la.     Working  plans  of  grit  or  shell  hopper. 

Chick  Mash  Hopper. — The  chick  mash  hopper  shown  in  figure  8  is 
extremely  simple  and  answers  the  purpose  in  every  way.  It  consists 
merely  of  a  shallow  box  or  tray  in  which  the  grain  or  dry  mash  mixture 
is  placed.  The  J-inch  mesh  hardware  cloth  which  is  cut  ^-inch  smaller  all 
around  than  the  inside  dimensions  of  the  bottom  of  tray,  is  laid  on  top  of 
the  feed  so  as  to  prevent  the  chicks  from  scratching  the  feed  out  on  the 
ground,  yet  they  can  get  all  the  feed  in  the  tray  as  they  want  it  by 
picking  through  the  hardware  cloth.  Care  should  be  taken  not  to  leave 
the  edges  of  the  hardware  cloth  too  rough  or  they  will  scratch  the  chick 's 


Fig. 


Chick    Mash    Hopper.     A    hopper    2    feet    long,    5    inches    wide    and 
\\  inches  high,  inside  dimensions,  is  a  very  convenient  size. 


—  11  — . 

feet.  The  edges  might  be  bound  with  a  narrow  edging  of  galvanized 
iron  at  but  little  extra  expense.  Only  as  much  grain  or  dry  mash  should 
be  put  into  the  trays  each  day  as  will  be  consumed  that  day.  Then 
each  night  they  can  be  scraped  out  clean  with  a  shingle  or  a  fifteen-cent 
scraper  ready  for  use  the  next  day.  These  trays  are  being  used  at  the 
Experiment  Station  for  all  chicks  from  the  time  they  leave  the  incubator 
until  they  are  half  grown  and  able  to  use  the  large  mash  hoppers.  If 
it  is  desired,  they  may  be  made  wider  for  the  older  chicks,  but  the  size 
shown  is  very  satisfactory  and  easily  handled. 


Fig.   9.     Catching  Hook   (after  Cornell), 


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Fig.   9a.     Working  plans  of  catching  hook. 

Catching  Hook. — In  figures  9  and  9a  are  shown  a  catching  hook 
which  is  very  convenient,  when  properly  handled,  in  catching  up  birds 
that  the  attendant  desires  to  examine  or  remove  from  the  pen.  It  is 
as  a  rule  very  difficult  to  get  close  enough  to  a  fowl,  especially  one  of 
the  more  active  and  nervous  breeds,  to  pick  her  up  with  one 's  hands.  It 
generally  happens  that  when  one  really  wants  to  catch  a  certain  fowl, 
she  simply  wTon't  let  one  get  within  arm's  length.     With  the  catching 


—  12  — 

hook,  one  can  slip  up  close  enough  with  much  less  wear  and  tear  on 
both  attendant  and  fowl.  Care  must  be  exercised  not  to  have  the  hook 
too  tightly  closed  or  to  jerk  the  fowl  too  suddenly  when  catching  her 
for  when  the  hook  is  thus  carelessly  used,  there  is  danger  of  bruising 
the  skin  of  the  shanks  or  even  breaking  a  leg.  Where  used  with  normal 
care  this  hook  is  almost  indispensable  around  the  poultry  yards.  One 
should  be  kept  hanging  on  a  nail  in  each  pen  where  it  is  quickly  available 
in  catching  sick  fowls  as  soon  as  discovered  or  other  birds  that  it  may  be 
desirable  to  move  from  the  pen. 

The  Catching  Coop. — This  coop  is  a  very  convenient  device  to  use 
when  treating  fowls  for  body  lice,  for  sorting  or  for  transferring  pens 
of  chickens  from  pen  to  pen  or  from  one  house  to  another  or  whenever 
it  is  necessary  to  catch  chickens  in  large  numbers.     When  it  is  desired  to 


Fig.   10.     Catching  Coop. 


Fig.   10a. 


—  13  — 


sort  over  a  pen  of  fowls,  the  front  end  of  the  coop  is  pushed  tightly 
against  the  chick  exit,  a  coop  full  of  chickens  run  in  and  the  front 
sliding  door  closed.  The  coop  may  be  then  loaded  on  to  a  wagon  or 
carried  to  the  place  where  the  sorting  is  to  be  done.  The  fowls  are 
taken  out  one  by  one  through  the  top  doors,  examined  individually  and 


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Fig.   10  b.     Working  plans  for  catching  coop. 


distributed  as  desired.  Pens  of  chicks  are  quickly  transferred  from 
brooders  to  colony  houses  or  easily  sorted  by  its  use.  Such  a  coop  must 
be  light  in  weight,  convenient  to  handle  and  covered  with  netting  for 
ventilation  so  that  the  fowls  will  not  smother.  Rope  handles  may  be 
fastened  on  each  end  for  convenience  in  carrying.  The  top  of  the  coop 
is  hinged  so  that  it  can  be  raised  and  the  coop  easily  cleaned  when 
needed. 

A  Blood  Can  for  Use  in  Killing  and  Picking. — Killing  fowls  by 
"sticking"  them  through  the  mouth  is  the  usual  way  of  killing  for 
market  because  the  bird  is  not  only  well  bled  but  the  head  is  left  on  so 
that  the  buyer  can  tell  the  sex  as  well  as  gain  other  valuable  points 
indicated  by  the  head  to  those  who  know  fowls.  In  dry  picking  it  is 
necessary  to  kill  in  this  way  to  loosen  the  feathers.  "When  using  this 
method  of  killing  the  fowl  is  hung  up  by  the  feet  with  the  breast  toward 
the  operator.  A  simple  way  of  suspending  a  fowl  is  to  hang  a  stout  cord 
with  a  cork  or  circular  block  of  wood  f-inch  thick  by  1-inch  wide 
fastened  to  the  free  end,  from  a  beam  just  above  the  operator's  head. 


14 


The  fowl  is  then  held  head  downward  with  both  feet  together  and  the 
cord  twisted  aronnd  the  shanks  and  caught  with  the  block  of  wood. 
The  fowl's  head  is  held  in  the  left  hand  and  the  "stick"  made  with  the 
right,  after  which  a  blood  can  (see  figure  11)  is  hooked  into  the  fleshy 
part  of  the  lower  mandible  from  the  outside.  This  can  should  possess 
a  sharp  hook,  be  of  proper  diameter  so  that  there  is  room  to  easily 
hook  it  in  the  lower  jaw  and  heavy  enough  to  keep  the  fowl  from 
flopping  around  too  much.  Figure  12  illustrates  a  very  simple  and 
economical  way  of  killing  for  market;  it  is  adapted  to  either  scald  or 
dry  picking  and  is  the  method  used  by  large  commercial  establishments. 


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Fig.  11.  Blood  can  for 
use    in    killing   poultry. 


Fig.  11a.     Working  plan  of  blood  can. 

Both  hands  are  free  to  work  with  and  there  is  no  danger  of  the  bird 
being  bruised  by  flopping  over  the  floor  or  against  the  wall  after  being 
stuck.  The  body  feathers  are  put  in  the  barrel.  The  wing  and  tail 
feathers  may  be  thrown  on  the  floor  and  swept  up  later  or  put  in  a 
small  box  at  the  side  of  the  barrel.  A  small  can  of  water  can  be  hung 
from  the  side  of  the  barrel  by  a  hook  if  desired,  to  moisten  the  fingers 
when  dry  picking. 


15  — 


Fig.  12.  Blood  can  being  hooked  into  fleshy  part  of 
lower  mandible  to  catch  the  blood  after  making  the 
stick. 


Fattening  Crate. — In  crate  fattening  the  birds  are  shut  up  in  crates 
each  compartment  of  which  is  3  feet  long,  2  feet  wide  and  18  inches 
high.  Sometimes  they  are  made  up  in  two  compartment  sections 
as  shown  in  figures  13  and  13a  or  they  may  be  made  in  much 
longer  sections.  The  crates  may  be  covered  on  all  sides  with  lath  or 
the  lath  may  be  used  only  in  front  with  the  other  sides  covered  with 
1-inch  netting.  The  strips  covering  the  front  should  be  run  vertically 
so  that  the  fowls  can  poke  their  heads  through  and  eat  out  of  the  trough 
in  front.  The  strips  are  spaced  1|  inches  to  If  inches  apart  for  half 
grown  fowls  such  as  broilers  and  fryers,  and  2  inches  apart  for  mature 
fowls.  Small  market  stock  of  the  lighter  breeds,  such  as  broilers  and 
small  frys  can  often  squeeze  through  strips  2  inches  apart.  While 
slats  may  be  used  for  the  bottom,  J-inch  hardware  cloth  is  much  more 
sanitary  and  easy  to  keep  clean  and  costs  but  a  fraction  more.  The 
crates  are  usually  placed  two  and  three  deep  in  the  fattening  house 
and  a  pan  1  inch  deep  and  of  the  same  size  as  the  bottom  of  each  com- 
partment is  placed  directly  underneath  the  bottom  of  every  compartment 


—  16  — 

to  catch  the  droppings  which  fall  through.  These  pans  can  be  pulled 
out  and  cleaned  every  day  without  disturbing  the  birds.  This  arrange- 
ment keeps  the  coops  clean  and  sanitary  and  the  birds  need  not  be 


Fig.   13.     Two    compartment    fattening    crate    complete. 


E«ck,  Tef,  a„<l  £>,/. 
are  revered  n,/A  Hi 
meih    Net tinf. 


FATTENING    CRATE 

Fig.   13a.     Working  plans  of  two  compartment  fattening  crate. 

disturbed  from  the  time  they  are  put  in  till  they  are  fat  enough  for 
market,  the  cleaning  and  feeding  all  being  done  from  the  outside. 

The  feed  troughs  can  be  made  from  ordinary  5-inch  roll  rim  galvanized 
iron  roof  gutter  cut  to  proper  length  and  with  ends  soldered  on.  The 
local  tinsmith  will  make  such  troughs  at  small  cost. 

Figure  13  illustrates  a  two-compartment,  portable  crate  with  feed 
troughs  in  position  and  one  of  the  pans  for  catching  the  droppings 
partly  pulled  out.  In  figure  13a  the  methods  of  construction  are  shown 
in  detail. 


—  17  — 

Supply  Can. — Where  a  poultry  raiser  has  a  number  of  pens  of  fowls 
to  feed  and  has  to  carry  a  big  pail  of  grain  from  pen  to  pen,  he  is  not 
only  performing  labor  daily  that  could  just  as  well  be  done  once  a 
week  and  with  a  wheelbarrow  or  horse  and  wagon,  but  at  the  same  time 


Fig.  14.  Supply  can  for  grain  or  mash.  These  views  show  two  covers.  The  small 
cover  at  the  rear  was  added  to  make  it  easier  to  pour  feed  out  of  the  can  as  it  is 
difficult  to  pour  feed  through  the  front  cover  on  account  of  the  slanting  top.  It 
may  be  made  with  either  one  or  two  covers  as  desired. 


Fig.   14a.     Working  plans  of  supply  can  for  grain  or  dry  mash. 

is  wasting  much  valuable  time  unless  he  can  gather  the  eggs  and  do 
the  feeding  on  the  same  trip.  However,  where  there  are  many  eggs 
to  gather  it  is  usually  necessary  to  make  two  trips ;  one  to  feed  and  one 
to  gather  eggs. 

2—19325 


—  18  — 

By  having  in  each  pen  a  supply  can  large  enough  to  hold  a  week's 
supply  of  grain  for  that  pen  and  a  dry  mash  hopper  large  enough  to 
hold  a  week's  supply  of  mash,  the  mash  hoppers  and  supply  cans  need 
only  be  filled  up  once  a  week  and  the  feed  can  be  hauled  in  a  wagon 
or  cart.  The  poultryman  can  then  walk  from  pen  to  pen  each  morning 
with  his  hands  free  for  other  things  and  scatter  the  right  amount  of 
grain  to  the  fowls  in  each  pen  from  the  supply  can  in  that  pen.  At 
night  he  takes  his  egg  buckets,  gathers  his  eggs  and  feeds  as  he  goes 
along  from  pen  to  pen  on  the  one  trip. 

Where  each  pen  of  fowls  is  large  enough,  bins  may  be  built  against 
the  wall  and  arranged  so  that  they  can  be  filled  from  the  outside.  A 
galvanized  iron  or  wooden  barrel  also  makes  a  good  supply  can.  The 
supply  can  illustrated  in  figure  14  may  be  made  any  size  desired  and  has 
a  slanting  top  that  fowls  can  not  perch  upon.  If  not  too  large  it  can  be 
hung  on  the  wall  out  of  the  way.  Where  one  would  like  to  know  the 
amount  of  feed  eaten  from  week  to  week  by  any  given  pen  or  pens, 
the  amount  of  feed  put  in  supply  can  and  hopper  at  the  beginning  of 
the  week,  let  us  say  Monday  morning  after  the  morning  feed,  can  be 
weighed  in  and  the  amount  left  at  the  end  of  the  week  (Monday 
morning  after  the  morning  feed)  weighed  back  before  weighing  in  a 
new  supply.  In  this  way  accurate  records  of  the  feed  consumption 
per  pen  or  flock  can  be  kept  and  also  of  the  relative  consumption  of 
grain  and  mash. 


Fig.    15.      Hatching  Egg  C 


dified   Mai: 


19 


H 

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Z 

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ID 

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ID 

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—  20  — 

Hatching  Egg  Cabinet. — In  figure  15  is  shown  a  labor-saving  egg- 
turning  cabinet  for  saving  hatching  eggs  in.  Where  a  great  many  eggs 
are  set  each  season  and  they  are  all  turned  by  hand,  considerable  time 
is  required  each  day  to  turn  them  while  they  are  being  saved  for  the 
incubators.  With  the  device  illustrated,  over  2,000  eggs  can  be  turned 
at  the  same  time  by  simply  revolving  the  table  on  its  axle.  As  can  be 
seen  from  the  illustrations,  the  table  is  divided  into  eight  compartments 
with  every  compartment  containing  eight  ordinary  egg-case  fillers, 
holding  three  dozen  eggs  each.  Each  compartment  is  again  divided  into 
8  smaller  sections  by  J  inch  by  2J  inch  strips  notched  to  fit  together 
where  they  intersect  (see  drawing).  Each  of  these  small  divisions 
holds  one  3-dozen  size  egg-case  filler.  By  having  the  table  divided  up 
in  this  way  into  unit  sections  of  three  dozen  capacity  it  is  very  easy  to 
keep  eggs  from  special  matings  or  special  pens  of  breeders  by  themselves 
while  being  saved,  a  very  convenient  arrangement.  Double  faced  cor- 
rugated card  board  is  used  to  line  the  inside  of  the  table  and  as  partition 
walls  between  the  upper  and  lower  compartments.  Ordinary  harness 
snaps  are  used  to  fasten  the  covers  when  shut.  Before  turning  the 
operator  wants  to  be  certain  that  every  cover  is  firmly  fastened. 

Egg  Sorting  Table. — In  sorting  eggs,  especially  for  incubation,  it 
is  often  convenient  to  have  a  table  on  which  the  eggs  may  be  sorted 
and  on  which  they  will  stay  where  put  without  danger  of  rolling  around 
or  on  the  floor.  The  table  shown  in  figures  16  and  17  is  one  that  has 
been  especially  designed  for  this  purpose.  Persons  who  are  doing  trap- 
nesting,  pedigree  breeding,  keeping  pen  records  of  breeding  stock  as 
a  substitute  for  trapnesting,  will  find  such  a  table  very  useful  in 
systematically  arranging  and  recording  eggs  for  the  incubator. 

Marking  Eggs. — To  clearly  and  easily  identify  hatching  eggs  from 
trapnested  or  pedigreed  stock,  a  uniform  system  of  marking  should  be 
adopted.  As  soon  as  the  egg  is  removed  from  the  nest  it  should  be 
marked  on  large  end  with  the  hen  number,  pen  number,  date  or  any 
other  information  that  is  needed  in  identifying  that  particular  egg. 
Example  281/7/3-24;  hen  number  281,  pen  7,  March  24. 

In  sorting  these  eggs  for  incubation,  certain  hen's  eggs  may  be  grouped 
into  a  separate  incubator  and  the  progeny  toe  marked  when  hatched, 
each  hen's  eggs  may  be  set  separately  in  pedigree  trays  and  the  offspring 
marked,  or  the  eggs  for  each  incubator  may  be  arranged  systematically 
on  the  sorting  table  in  numerical  order  with  each  hen's  eggs  together 
and  then  transferred  to  the  incubation  record  in  the  same  uniform 
order.  By  thus  recording  the  number  of  each  hen's  eggs  set  and  the 
n umber  of  infertile,  of  dead  germs  at  first  and  second  test,  dead  in  shell, 
and  chicks  hatched,  a  complete  record  is  secured  of  the  fertility  and 
hatchability  of  the  eggs  of  every  breeding  fowl  in  the  flock.     In  the 


21 


Fig.  16.  Egg  Sorting  Table.  Note  double  top.  The  upper  half  of  this 
double  top  is  made  in  sections  which  slide  in  strips  nailed  to  the  lower  part  of 
table  top.  Only  the  upper  sections  have  holes  in  them.  The  lower  part  is  a 
solid  smooth  table  top  which  is  held  firmly  in  place  on  the  horses  by  cleats 
which  fit  closely  into  notched  slideways  on  the  horses. 


Fig.   1' 


One  corner  of  the  egg  room  showing  egg  sorting  table,  egg  scales 
and  end  of  hatching  egg  cabinet. 


—  22  — 


same  way  by  hatching  the  eggs  from  certain  pens  or  groups  of  hens 
served  by  certain  strong  males  in  separate  incubators,  toe  marking  them 
when  hatched  and  keeping  mortality  records  by  means  of  the  toe  marks, 
very  efficient,  yet  easily  secured  pedigree  records  of  the  breeding  flock 
may  be  kept  and  consistent  improvement  secured  in  the  flock  as  a  whole. 

Egg  Candler. — For  candling  market  eggs  or  to  test  hatching  eggs 
during  incubation  an  electric  candler  is  a  great  convenience.  The  one 
illustrated  is  not  only  very  simple  in  design  but  permits  of  full  use  of  all 
of  the  table  top  on  which  the  work  is  being  done.  The  candler  is 
supported  above  the  table  on  a  verticle  piece  of  pipe  which  also  acts  as 
a  conduit  for  the  electric  wires.  The  holes  in  the  bottom  of  the  box 
throw  plenty  of  light  on  the  trays  of  eggs  without  in  any  way  interfering 
with  the  operation  of  candling,  another  big  advantage.  A  candler  which 
throws  light  only  through  the  one  opening  and  leaves  the  trays  or  boxes 
of  eggs  in  darkness,  causes  a  waste  of  time  in  feeling  around  in  the  dark 
for  the  eggs  and  often  results  in  a  good  deal  of  breakage. 


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A 


TKOOITlBlFKOflT  6 

naJtATOO  TE5nr<  _---•■ 
XXMAiCOMUwrTHAH/ 


ELECTRIC 
EGG  TE5TEC 


jiot^  v\zw  ceoas  '  xenon 

Fig.    18.      Electric   Egg   Candler   or   Tester. 


—  23 


STATION   PUBLICATIONS   AVAILABLE    FOR    DISTRIBUTION. 


REPORTS. 
1897.    Resistant   Vines,    their   Selection,    Adaptation,    and   Grafting.    Appendix   to   Viticultural 
Report  for  1896. 

1902.  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for  1898-1 9C1. 

1903.  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for  1901-13. 

19C4.    Twenty-second  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for  19C3-C4. 

1914.  Report   of   the   College   of   Agriculture    and   the  Agricultural   Experiment   Station,    July, 

1913- June,   1914. 

1915.  Report   of   the   College  of  Agriculture   and   the  Agricultural   Experiment   Station,    July, 

1914-June,  1915. 


No. 


170. 
174. 
178. 
184. 

185. 

195. 
197. 


203. 

207. 

208. 
211. 

212. 
213. 
216. 


220. 

No. 
65. 
69. 
70. 

76. 
79. 

80. 
82. 

83. 

87. 

91. 
100. 
101. 

106. 

107. 

108. 
109. 


110. 
111. 

113. 
114. 
115. 
117. 

118. 


BULLETINS. 
No. 


Observations    on    Some    Vine    Diseases 

in  Sonoma  County. 
Tolerance  of  the  Sugar  Beet  for  Alkali. 
Studies  in  Grasshopper  Control. 
A  New  Wine-Cooling  Machine. 
Mosquito  Control. 
Report    of    the    Plant    Pathologist    to 

July  1,  1906. 
Report   of   Progress   in   Cereal  Investi- 
gations. 
The  California  Grape  Root-worm. 
Grape  Culture  in  California;  Improved 

Methods      of      Wine-making;      Yeast 

from  California  Grapes. 
The  Grape  Leaf-Hopper. 
Report    of    the    Plant    Pathologist    to 

July  1,  19C9. 
The  Control  of  the  Argentine  Ant. 
The  Late  Blight  of  Celery. 
How   to    Increase  the   Yield   of   Wheat 

in  California. 
California  White  Wheats. 
The  Principles  of  Wine-making. 
A     Progress     Report     upon    Soil    and 

Climatic      Factors      Influencing      the 

Composition  of  Wheat. 
Dosage  Tables. 


225. 
227. 
230. 
234. 
241. 
242. 
244. 
246. 
248. 

249. 
250. 
251. 


252. 
253. 

254. 
255. 
256. 

257. 

258. 
259. 


CIRCULARS. 
No. 

The  California  Insecticide  Law.  119. 

The   Extermination    of   Morning-Glory .  121. 

Observations    on   the    Status    of    Corn 

Growing  in  California.  122. 

Hot  Room  Callusing. 

List  of  Insecticide  Dealers.  124. 

Boys'  and  Girls'  Clubs.  125. 

The     Common     Ground     Squirrels     of  126. 

California.  127. 

Potato  Growing  Clubs.  128. 

Alfalfa.  129. 

Disinfection  on  the  Farm.  130. 

Pruning  Frosted  Citrus  Trees.  131. 

Codling    Moth    Control    in    the    Sacra- 
mento Valley.  132. 

Directions   for  using  Anti-Hog  Cholera 

Serum.  133. 

Spraying  Walnut  Trees  for  Blight  and  134. 

Aphis  Control.  135. 

Grape  Juice.  136. 

Community   or  Local  Extension  Work 

by  the  High  School  Agricultural  De-  137. 

partment.  138. 

Green  Manuring  in  California.  139. 

The  Use  of  Lime  and  Gypsum  on  Cali- 
fornia Soils. 

Correspondence  Courses  in  Agriculture.  14C. 

Increasing  the  Duty  of  Water. 

Grafting  Vinifera  Vineyards. 

The    Selection    and    Cost    of    a    Small  141. 
Pumping  Plant. 

The  County  Farm  Bureau. 


Tolerance  of  Eucalyptus  for  Alkali. 

Grape  Vinegar. 

Enological  Investigations. 

Red  Spiders  and  Mites  of  Citrus  Trees. 

Vine  Pruning  in  California.    Part  I. 

Humus  in  California  Soils. 

Utilization  of  Waste  Oranges. 

Vine   Pruning   in   California.     Part   II. 

The  Economic  Value  of  Pacific  Coast 
Kelps . 

Stock  Poisoning  Plants  of  California. 

The  Loquat. 

Utilization  of  the  Nitrogen  and  Or- 
ganic Matter  in  Septic  and  Imhoff 
Tank  Sludges. 

Deterioration  of  Lumber. 

Irrigation  and  Soil  Conditions  in  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Foothills,  California. 

The  Avocado  in  California. 

The  Citricola  Scale. 

The  Value  of  Barley  for  Cows  fed 
Alfalfa. 

New  Dosage  Tables. 

Mealy  Bugs  of  Citrus  Trees. 

Commercial  Fertilizers. 

Availability  Studies  on  Nitrogenous 
Fertilizers. 


Winery  Directions. 

S(  me  Things  the  Prospective  Settler 
Should  Know. 

The  Management  of  Strawberry  Soils 
in  Pajaro  Valley. 

Alfalfa  Silage  for  Fattening  Steers. 

Aphids  on  Grain  and  Cantaloupes. 

Spraying  for  the  Grape  Leaf-Hopper. 

House  Fumigation. 

Insecticide  Formulas. 

The  Control  of  Citrus  Insects. 

Cabbage  Growing  in  California. 

Spraying  for  the  Control  of  the  Wal-. 
nut  Aphis. 

When  to  Vaccinate  against  Hog 
Cholera. 

The  County  Farm  Adviser. 

Control  of  Raisin  Insects. 

Official  Tests  of  Dairy  Cows. 

Melilotus  Indica  as  a  Green  Manure 
Crop  in  Southern  California. 

Wood  Decay  in  Orchard  Trees. 

The  Silo  in  California  Agriculture. 

The  Generation  of  Hydrocyanic  Acid 
Gas  in  Fumigation  by  Portable  Ma- 
chines. 

The  Practical  Application  of  Improved 
Methods  of  Fermentation  in  Califor- 
nia Wineries  during  1913  and  1914. 

Standard  Insecticides  and  Fungicides 
versus   Secret  Preparations. 


